09/29/04

"It's really about the kind of cover you are going to fish.  It's no secret that Largemouth tend to out weigh smallmouth, so given the opportunity to fish both in a tournament, most pros are going to at least try to find a Largemouth bite."

"First, I would say that an angler must take the time to consider the differences between the two species.  Smallmouth will tend to be in deeper water typically.  There are of course, excepetions, but as a general rule of thumb, if I am looking for Largemouth, I will fish shallow, say in the 3 to 7 foot depth range, while I would expect the Smallmouth to be in water that is say 10 to 12 feet deep."

"The next thing to consider is that Largemouth are much more cover specific.  That is to say that Largemouth, particularly big fish, are more likely to hold in cover waiting for a meal to swim by.  Smallmouth, on the other hand are open water fish, that relate to cover, but do a lot of roaming within an area. With this in mind, if I am targeting Largemouth, I will use a technique that pin points key cover like docks, or grass matts, spots where a bass can ambush prey.  I would expect the lake's Smallmouth to be on off shore grass, high points, gravel bars and other kinds of spots with several pieces of cover surrounding it."

"As far a lures is concerned, there are certainly lures that cross over and will get both species.  Spinnerbaits, rip baits and some worm presentations will catch both kinds of bass.  In targeting Largemouth, I would use bigger jigs and brush hogs, aggressive lures that will invade a Largemouth's hideout and force it to react.  Tubes are good for both species, however, in targeting Largemouth, I might flip a 4" or 5" tube into heavy cover, whereas for Smallmouth, I might fish a 2" or 3" tube on light tackle and drag it through an area."